Well it has been awhile but I can still remember exactly what happened while I was gone. Sara, our secretary, and I left all excited to spend some time in the mountains! She had never been to the mountains before so that was really exciting for her! We left on Saturday night by bus and got there early in the morning on Sunday. Surprisingly I didn't get bus sick this time and I slept almost the whole time...that sure was a blessing!!! We got to Huaraz and our taxi wasn't there waiting for us so we called the hotel and asked them to send a taxi to us! It wasn't far and we could have walked if we knew where we were going! So when we got there we found out that there was going to be a transportation strike starting tomorrow (Monday)!!! How horrible! So they gave us 10 minutes to shower and get ready to leave for a tour to this BEAUTIFUL lake. That is what we thought!! HAHA!! So we got ready in 10 minutes and left for the lake. It was a SCARY ride up the mountain. A gravel/dirt road with no guard rails.....and I was sitting by the window......those of you who know me and my fear of heights can imagine what I was going through! But it was a beautiful ride up the mountain to the lake. Sara and I took a boat out on the lake and then got something to eat. It was a high altitude, similar to Pike's Peak in Colorado. We went to LOTS of places that we didn't know we were going to go including a place where they make pottery! It was a great time. We just walked around town on Monday (my birthday) because there was little transportation and I thought if we left town we might not be able to get back. We ate at "El Horno" where we got Pizza for lunch and then walked to the river thinking we were going to sit and just gaze at God's creation in Perú! We got to the river and no way to get down there and then the river was full of trash....that is when I realized I was really in Perú again. It is so sad how they leave trash everywhere and don't have trashcans to put things in. We did do a little shopping while in Huaraz that afternoon. So after finding out about the "paro" (strike) we tried leaving that night to head back to Trujillo. We left on time and then about 30 minutes later we had to turn around and go back. We had to stop once to have people move the rocks that were in the road, and the 2nd time we had to turn around because people were throwing rocks and breaking out windows because people were mad about the strike. It was kinda scary at first, but then we knew that when we got back we at least had a place to stay because we had to pay for that night even though we didn't stay there. We then slept a lot of the day on Tuesday which was nice. I did wake up around 7AM hearing people yelling and screaming due to the strike, but we were safe. We didn't go anywhere, but stayed put until dinner. We went out for dinner and I found a place that had burritos. MMMMMM I thought...until I got it. It wasn't the same as they are back home, so I ordered a peanut butter and banana sandwich.....YES it was on the menu!!! How crazy! We blessed a mother and her kids with the burrito and went back to the hotel. Then the next day was to be the worst so we didn't even leave the hotel except for lunch and dinner. We knew they were going to be burning tires and things could be dangerous, so we stayed put. God knew exactly why we were to stay another day in Huaraz. We got to talk with an Aussie ( Australian)! His name is Ross. He was a nice guy and between Sara and I we helped him with his Spanish. I also had an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with him. I pray that God will send another person alongside to tell him more about Jesus. Sara and I invited him for lunch and then we went shopping with him. We helped him buy a new hat and some other things before he left on his mountaineering trip the next day! We got back that night, gathered our things and left for the bus station. We made it back safe and sound back the albergue on Thursday morning! Here are some AWESOME pictures of God's creation..including Sara and I!
A stream on the way to the lake between those 2 mountains you see!
Oh the Andes Mountains!!!
Amy and the Andes
Sara and the Andes
Getting closer to the lake!
The "Welcome" sign
Here it states our altitude!
Amy and Sara on Lago Chinancocha
Here are some ladies that sold us some food. I ate a delicious piece of bread with some cheese on it. MMMM I can taste it right now while thinking about it! HAHA!
This is similar to "Christ the Redeemer" in Brazil. This was one of the few things left when a avalanche hit Yungay, Perú, back in 1970.
Not sure if you can see me, but I am sitting underneath the statue on a concrete wall.
This was a bus for transportation before the avalanche came. How tragic!
What a sunset on the Andes Mountains!!!
This is where my pizza was cooked for my birthday at "El Horno" which is translated into "The Oven".
The view from our roof/eating area!
The fireplace/sitting area upstairs with a gorgeous view of the Andes Mountains!
Amy, Ross, and Sara....our new Aussie friend
Olaza's Bed and Breakfast, where we stayed!
